Monday, January 7, 2013

Anwar: RM207b ‘not sent through Treasury’

Anwar: RM207b ‘not sent through Treasury’

Former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim claims
both Japanese and Malaysian officials "have evidence" that the money was
sent to the government.

KUCHING:
Former deputy prime minister-cum finance minister Anwar Ibrahim today
confirmed that RM207 billion Death Railway compensation was sent to the
Malaysian government but added that the money did not go through the
Treasury.
“Why you have to ask the former finance ministers to explain? If the
money came to the Treasury, I would surely have been informed.
“During my time as finance minister, it was not sent through the Treasury.
“But they (both Japanese and Malaysian officials) have evidence that it was sent to the government.
“So I think the then Prime Minister (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) needs to
explain. What is the present Prime Minister (Najib Tun Razak) is doing?
“Najib should conduct a full investigation,” Anwar said, adding that
the issue had been raised in Parliament by one of the Pakatan Rakyat
MPs.
Anwar was commenting on the ‘missing’ RM207 billion paid by the
Japanese government as compensation to the Malaysian government over the
‘Death Railway’ project in the 1940s.
The money was meant to be distributed to some 30,000 Malaysians who
had been taken as prisoners of war and used as forced labour by the
Japanese to build the Thai-Burma rail link.
According to PAS, the Japanese Embassy had recently revealed that it
had in the 1990s paid a compensation of RM207 billion to the Malaysian
government for families of the victims.
Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin had called for former finance
minister Anwar and Daim Zainuddin, along with Mahathir, to explain the
whereabouts of the RM207 billion.